Field of the Invention
The field of the invention comprises nanoparticles and/or photoactive compounds for use in cosmetic, diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures, including ultrasonic delivery systems and methods for delivering the particles and/or compounds to a target tissue. Ultrasound, according to several embodiments, is low frequency ultrasound delivered by, for example, a transducer or sonotrode. In several embodiments, the invention relates to using laser or light energy combined with nanoparticles and/or photoactive compounds to modify, smooth, and/or resurface the skin (including tissue under the skin surface) of humans.
Description of the Related Art
Laser treatments of the skin have been highly touted for therapeutic and cosmetic utility. Therapeutically, potential uses for laser skin therapy include laser ablation of cancerous cells in cancer patients and laser ablation of damaged tissue in burn victims. Cosmetic applications for laser skin therapy are much more numerous, and include hair removal/reduction, treatment of dyschromia, shrinking of the skin following operations such as liposuction, acne treatment, chemical or physical abrasion of unwanted markings on the skin, surgical treatments including nose reduction and face- and neck-lifts, and other aesthetic skin remodeling purposes.